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Friday, October 13, 2017

SNAP Helps Cut Child Poverty in Half

Thanks to government programs, the child poverty rate fell to a record low of 15.6% in 2016, a little more than half its 1967 level of 28.4%. Data incorporating the Supplemental Poverty Measure (which counts the income that the SNAP, rental subsidies, and other federal non-cash benefits and tax credits provide) show that the drop is largely attributable to safety net programs, particularly SNAP and refundable tax credits for earned income and child care.

This improvement has benefited all demographic groups. Between 1991 and 2016, SPM poverty rates among black, Hispanic, and non-Hispanic white children were all cut roughly in half. When poverty is measured without counting safety net income, child poverty is only modestly lower than it was in the 1960s.